Speak Out on Social Issues to Become a Social Media Authority

Yes, there's a lot of noise on social media. Some of it is inconsequential, to be polite about it, while other content seems targeted at directly turning followers into clients and customers. That's the idea, of course, but what I term "look at me" posts can seem rather rote if that makes up the majority of content by the individuals and organizations you follow. The natural tendency over time is to tune that sort of content out (just as we often do with television advertisements), and no one can blame us if we do.

It all comes back to credibility, of course. Don't forget community relations and social involvement as you work to establish and fine tune your social media presence. Becoming an authority on social issues increases your overall credibility, making it much more likely that your promotional content will be viewed more favorably as well.

So, how do you strike a favorable balance between the issues you care about and posts which promote your products and services?

• Tweet and blog about the issues you truly care about, with a special emphasis on synergy between your interests and your business. For example, it makes perfect sense for a food company to post about food safety, recipes involving your product and hunger.
• Retweet information from persons and organizations you trust. It builds goodwill, and as they say, what comes around goes around.
• Don't forget to post relevant images. Besides a great headline, nothing captures the reader's attention more than a compelling image to demonstrate what you're writing about.
• Devote some of your posts to developments in your industry. It all comes back to credibility and establishing yourself as an authority in your area.

As we all know, it's not enough to become a regular presence on social media. Offering information of value is the surest way to become an authority on your chosen information, and that can only help your marketing efforts across the board.